Ultimate Core Ball Workout: Strengthening and Sculpting Exercises with Over 200 Step-by-Step Photos

I've been using this book for 7 years, and I'm very happy with it. I was quite weak when I began, and I really appreciated the beginner-level routines the author provided. The transition from beginner to intermediate routines, and then to advanced routines, was appropriately challenging, but not so much as to discourage me. Within 3 months, I was doing maneuvers (like the plank twist with raised leg) that had other people glancing at me.But the book has quite a few maneuvers that really don't seem to strengthen the targeted muscles and seem too easy for the routines in which they're included. Also, some of the exercises are dangerous, e.g, the crunch on the ball (too much herniating pressure on disks -- thanks Dr. McGill) and superman (too much stress on lower back without proper conditioning not in the book). I had to devise some substitutes and add some conditioning exercises to the author's routines to stay safe.All told, this is a great book for beginners and a good book for intermediate use.

I am glad I got this book. It offers some very nice core exercises that leave me feeling relaxed and happy. The exercises are not boring (at least to me) and offer up something new everytime I open up the book. I often reach for it after doing a bit of cardio or yoga when I need an exercise or two to work my whole body and core. It is a very worthwhile addition to my exercise library and I am very happy I purchased it. The reason I gave it 4 stars instead of five is because the pictures are all in black and white and a bit less inspiring than other exercise books I have that are done in glossy color. But that is not a big deal, it's still quality. If you are disciplined and can motivate yourself, you will feel wonderful after doing these exercises color pics or not.

I bought my exercise ball mostly to use for the inverted handstand pose to stretch psoas and diaphragm. However, I got ideas from this book for other exercises. Nice pics. Easy to follow.

Lots of great info and many excellent exercises to help strengthen the body.Must have book

I bought this book before I even had a ball, because I had read about the ball being almost essential to resolve core issues, with muscles in our body that rarely get worked.I had only made a few attempts to use a ball, but my experience had been that it was very difficult to stay on it, to accomplish much of anything.In fact, I had a hard time understanding exactly how a giant ball was supposed to enable anyone to improve their physical conditioning, but I was told that it helped to improve your balance, and therefore strengthens your core.And so I did order a ball, but I ordered the "oblong" or elliptical shaped ball, thinking that it would be easier to manage.Well, no matter what you undertake to try - be it stretching, weights, or whatever, you must build up a technique that works for you, and above all, you must actually, physically do it - whatever it is - because just having a book or DVD about it is hardly enough to cause any results that you might desire to obtain, simply because you're not really doing anything. And that has been my problem, all along. I've bought the books, and the DVDs, but have not stuck with anything and really worked at it, and so I have not gotten the results I have wanted to get.But that's not to say that I have not done anything: I have, but probably not the correct things to do, which actually would have resulted in the outcome I wanted to achieve.What is so daunting, however, is the notion that one must become almost fanatical in his zeal to work out, to see any results.I do understand, though, that this is because when you retire, and you spend so much of your time in almost complete repose, or mainly sitting down, this means you are not getting even the normal, constant movement of someone going through the motions of a typical day in the life of being gainfully employed, which means that you have an even bigger hurdle to overcome, considering that you engage in comparatively little physical activity. I don't think most of us realize just how active we are in the normal course of a typical day, but we are actually moving around almost continually. Once we retire, though, most of that pretty much stops.What is very sobering to realize is that while you are employed, you are moving almost constantly, from the time you get up in the morning until you finally go to bed at night - sitting down, getting up, moving around, walking here and there, stretching to reach up to get something off a high shelf, and just generally moving around in many different directions, all day long.And then, suddenly you stop working, and it all comes to a halt, and what you do mostly is sit.That is actually devastating to your physical conditioning, and the longer it goes on, the worse it gets.Most especially about my lower back - which I understand is far and away the most bedeviling ailment that so many people have, and which I am certainly one of the many.Even the title of this book - about it being the "Ultimate Core Ball Workout," was precisely what I had in mind.But after getting my "oblong" ball and trying it a few times, I didn't seem to notice any obvious benefit, and so it stood in the corner, gathering dust.But I didn't appreciate, exactly, the big difference between that ball, and a standard round exercise ball, until I most recently did order one, and receive it, and attempt to use it.I had seen an exercise video through my golf email website about using the ball to strengthen your back in reference to playing golf, and it looked like it would be effective, and that it shouldn't be too difficult to do.Well, I'm here to tell you - my initial misgivings about the round balance ball were absolutely correct, in spades!They can rave all they want to about how holding your balance on the ball is just what you need to strengthen the "core" muscles in your back - which I don't doubt is absolutely true - but I have made the effort, and as for myself, the effort is not worth it.Not that it isn't a desirable thing to do, but surely there are other ways to strengthen your core muscles without trying to make sense out of how to deal with this ridiculous, huge, unwieldy ball.It's just that the round exercise ball is treacherous, and insidious, and all of the negative things you can think of to say about it - they're all true!It's like trying to do exercises while walking a high-wire in a circus, or bouncing around on a pogo stick!It all boils down to one simple question: No matter how effective something may be - provided that you do ultimately master it - if in the beginning effort to learn how to use it, it tends to throw you off, like a bucking bronco, what pleasure are you going to obtain from the effort to master it? And if you don't stick with it and eventually master it, what good is it to you?I liken it very much to a canoe: Some years ago, I got the bright idea to buy a canoe, simply because it sounded romantic.I didn't have a clue that a canoe was so utterly treacherous, but I found out - the hard way.I had had it out a couple of times, with no particularly bad incidents, other than it was a little skittish - like a high-spirited colt, but at least it hadn't dumped me in the water. Yet.But I took a new girlfriend out in it one day - after loading it up with fishing rods and tackle boxes, etc, and pushing off from a steep bank.This new girlfriend had absolutely no sense of balance, and just keeled over sideways like a wooden statue, and rolled that canoe over to the side, dumping me, herself and everything in the boat into the water, and the sides of the bank went almost straight down.I managed to salvage most, if not all, of my rods and tackle, and the girl, fortunately, could swim, but I was humiliated, and absolutely furious.The only good part of the story is that it happened close to shore - immediately after I pushed off from the bank. If it had been out in the middle of the lake, in the deep part, it would have been bad news, indeed.Experience is the best teacher, so they say, and that is absolutely true. You can be sure that I never again set foot in a canoe, nor will I.And so, I find a balance ball to be almost exactly the same as that insidious canoe: How can you feel anything good about an exercise device that you are attempting to use to improve your physical self, that dumps you on your face, at the slightest false move, with absolutely no forgiveness?I don't need it.I remembered fondly the hotdog-bun shaped ball that I had deflated and stored in the basement, and went and got it, and pumped it up.I want to tell you that it works beautifully, and stretches out my lower back just as I hoped it would do, and revitalizes my back, and refreshes it, and makes it actually feel good!Now, that's progress. With the oblong ball, you don't have to worry about being dumped face-first on the floor, just because you aren't balancing yourself on a pivot point the size of a pencil, but can roll forward and backward, and your sideways balance isn't even a factor.It would seem, in my humble opinion, that the round balance ball has the potential to humiliate even a teen-age gymnastics major, let alone an aching senior, who's muscles are so stiff he can barely touch his toes.Given the fact that most people who even think about using a balance ball are probably seniors, who are concerned about their balance, and are already stiff and uncoordinated, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they could actually hurt themselves trying to use a standard round workout ball.Just for the heck of it, I looked it up on the Amazon website about balance balls, and could not find one solitary ad for anything other than a perfectly round ball. There used to be several listings for the oblong ball; in fact, I bought mine through Amazon.Evidently, they didn't sell well enough to continue to make them.Well, no matter - I am definitely a fan of the oblong ball, because it's the first thing that I've come across that actually gives me immediate, noticeable results, and isn't that what we're all looking for in the first place?

Be aware that this purchase DOES NOT come with a ball. Because of the photos that were a part of the listing when I purchased it - I thought it was for the book and the ball. I'm disappointed that it was just the book - which is USELESS without a ball. Book has good information - Shipping was of course, lightening speed. I'm not giving it a full 5 stars because I really feel that the original shopping listing was not clear that it doesn't come with a a ball. :/

As a 75-year old, I am always trying to find ways of excercising in my small apartment. This book fills that vacuum.Make sure you have an exercise ball that corresponds to your height dimensions.They work very well together. Follow the directions and start slow. It will amaze you. Thankx. SF

I have purchased many books and DVDs for home exercise and this is by far the best book. It is well organized--I love the little pictures for each exercise in the routines--they give you a "hint" so you can do the exercise without having to look it up in the book (once you learn it). The exercises are easy and affective. I would highly recommend this book for home exercise using the stability ball.

I do Pilates and wanted to do some work on the ball which would give my workout more variety and challenge. This book is brilliant as it gives clear instruction and photos of each exercise and shows how to progress to make it more challenging. It also guides you in planning your own workout. Brilliant if you want to work on your core muscles.

Terrible quality. Really awful thin paper with very faded black and white pictures to illustrate positions. The quality of the pictures is so bad that it will make it difficult to use it is appalling. I would not recommend.

thank you a very good price ,super book and as second hand is in excellent condition for an amazing price .thank you would use again and recommend it to others.

An essential to make sure I make the most of my exercises and my muscle tone

book perfect for beginners or as a refreshment for exercises on the ball, exercises described in easy way good pictures quality, if you want to exercise at home or in the gym